This invention relates to an information providing apparatus and method, a display controlling apparatus and method, an information providing system and a transmission medium, and more particularly to an information providing apparatus and method, a display controlling apparatus and method, an information providing system and a transmission medium by which, when, for example, data of a program table including characters and images are to be transmitted, the amount of data to be transmitted is reduced and a change of the program table can be performed rapidly.
Ordinarily, in order to get a program table of a television, a television program column of a newspaper or a magazine is referred to. Meanwhile, in recent years, it has been increased to practice to provide a program table through the Internet. In this instance, a program table is described in a describing language such as the HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language). A user can observer the program table using a predetermined browser. Further, it is also possible to provide data of the program table by media such as broadcasting radio waves or the like.
However, a program table provided through the Internet is described in a describing language such as the HTML, and image data or the like are sometimes included in the program table. Further, in such a case that a program table includes, for example, a re-forecast program, since data overlap, there is a problem in that a large amount of data is involved and a considerable time is required for transmission or reading in of the data.
It is another problem that, if the broadcasting date or the broadcasting time of a predetermined program in a program table or contents of a program are changed, much time is required since it is required to change all portions relating to the program and re-send data of the changed portions.